Burlingame vs Gale Ranch, San Ramon
Burlingame carries an effective property tax rate of 1.11% of assessed value and Gale Ranch, San Ramon carries 1.35%, both for fiscal year 2025-26. On one identical reference loan the monthly carrying costs are $9,768 and $10,086 — $319 apart, with Burlingame lower. To Sunnyvale / Mountain View at AM peak the fastest published commutes are 35 min by Caltrain from Burlingame and 50 min by car from Gale Ranch, San Ramon. Every figure is an objective public metric or arithmetic on one, and names its source.
Burlingame (San Mateo County) · Gale Ranch, San Ramon (Contra Costa County)
| Metric | Burlingame | Gale Ranch, San Ramon | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $1,500 | $700 | +$800 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.11% | 1.35% | −0.239% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,768 | $10,086 | −$319 |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — BART | 40 min | 65 min | −25 min |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — Drive | 40 min | 70 min | −30 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — BART | 55 min | 45 min | +10 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — Drive | 45 min | 45 min | 0 min |
| Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) — Drive | 35 min | 50 min | −15 min |
Difference is Burlingame minus Gale Ranch, San Ramon. Sources are cited on each submarket page.
Put the two side by side and the gap is square footage, not tax: $1,500 per foot in Burlingame against $700 in San Ramon (Gale Ranch). On the same $1,600,000 purchase the monthly separation is $319, because Burlingame bills 1.11% and San Ramon (Gale Ranch) 1.35%.
The house at each price
Burlingame comps run $1,300-$1,500 per square foot for detached. Windemere next door prices about the same as Gale Ranch. At $1,500 and $700 per foot respectively, a fixed budget buys about 114% more floor area in San Ramon (Gale Ranch).
What the bill looks like
Holding the loan constant — $1,600,000, 20% down, 6.5% on a 30-year fixed, $2,400 of insurance, no HOA — Burlingame totals $9,768 a month at 1.11% and San Ramon (Gale Ranch) $10,086 at 1.35% — tax lines of $1,477 and $1,796. Burlingame's fixed levies are modest by Peninsula standards. Gale Ranch HOA dues run $100-$220 a month depending on the village.
The trip each morning
To FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART): 40 minutes by BART from Burlingame, 65 by BART from San Ramon (Gale Ranch) — a 25-minute edge to Burlingame, or 4.2 hours across a ten-trip week. To Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain): 35 minutes by Caltrain from Burlingame, 50 by driving from San Ramon (Gale Ranch) — a 15-minute edge to Burlingame, or 2.5 hours across a ten-trip week. Burlingame and Broadway Caltrain stations are both in town. Bishop Ranch and City Center are 5-8 minutes from Gale Ranch, which is where most of its commutes end.
Hazard and insurance
The Burlingame flats east of El Camino sit in FEMA flood zones tied to the bayfront and creeks. The developed San Ramon valley floor is not WUI. Verify any parcel against the CAL FIRE Fire Hazard Severity Zone map, the FEMA Flood Map Service Center and the California Geological Survey seismic hazard zones before removing contingencies.
The housing need each answers
Burlingame assumes square footage will be traded to get both. Gale Ranch only works with a $3K-plus CFD priced into the monthly payment. Rank the requirements first; the pair rarely splits on anything except the one that is non-negotiable.
Sources. Effective rates and carrying costs: San Mateo County Tax Rate Book FY 2025-26; Contra Costa TRA Book FY 2025-26; City of San Ramon CFD annual special tax reports, composited in build/assets/metrics.json; TRA-level verification pending, so confirm the rate on the parcel's own bill. Commute times: door-to-door AM-peak estimates, data/commute/static.csv. Median price per foot is a trailing figure, not a valuation, and the local detail comes from the broker's own transactions.
Compare any two submarkets
| Metric | Burlingame | Gale Ranch, San Ramon |
|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $1,500 | $700 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.11% | 1.35% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,768 | $10,086 |
| Fastest to FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) | 40 min | 65 min |
| Fastest to Oakland City Center (12th St BART) | 45 min | 45 min |
| Fastest to Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) | 35 min | 50 min |
Same reference loan on both sides; the tax line is the only variable. Commute figures are door-to-door AM-peak estimates. Sources are listed on each submarket page.
Burlingame detail
| Component | Rate of assessed value |
|---|---|
| Prop 13 general levy | 1.000% |
| County / city voter-approved bonds | 0.010% |
| School district measures | 0.098% |
| Effective rate | 1.11% |
| Mello-Roos / CFD | None recorded |
Source: San Mateo County Tax Rate Book FY 2025-26 (San Mateo County), composited in
build/assets/metrics.json.
Tax Rate Area not yet verified parcel-by-parcel — confirm the rate on the parcel’s own tax bill.
Gale Ranch, San Ramon detail
| Component | Rate of assessed value |
|---|---|
| Prop 13 general levy | 1.000% |
| County / city voter-approved bonds | 0.012% |
| School district measures | 0.055% |
| Mello-Roos / CFD assessment | 0.280% |
| Effective rate | 1.35% |
| Mello-Roos / CFD | Yes |
Source: Contra Costa TRA Book FY 2025-26; City of San Ramon CFD annual special tax reports (Contra Costa County), composited in
build/assets/metrics.json.
Tax Rate Area not yet verified parcel-by-parcel — confirm the rate on the parcel’s own tax bill.
Burlingame vs Gale Ranch, San Ramon: questions and answers
- Which has the lower effective property tax rate, Burlingame or Gale Ranch, San Ramon?
- Burlingame, at 1.11% of assessed value against 1.35% for fiscal year 2025-26 — a gap of 0.240%. Rates are composited from county tax rate books; each parcel bill governs.
- How much do monthly carrying costs differ between Burlingame and Gale Ranch, San Ramon?
- $319 per month on the identical reference loan: Burlingame $9,768, Gale Ranch, San Ramon $10,086. Burlingame is lower. Principal and interest are held constant, so the difference is the tax line. Arithmetic only.
- Which has the shorter commute to Sunnyvale / Mountain View, Burlingame or Gale Ranch, San Ramon?
- Burlingame. Burlingame is 35 min by Caltrain; Gale Ranch, San Ramon is 50 min by car. Door-to-door, AM peak. Source: data/commute/static.csv.
- What is the price per square foot difference between Burlingame and Gale Ranch, San Ramon?
- $800 per square foot: Burlingame $1,500, Gale Ranch, San Ramon $700. Single-family medians, trailing twelve months. A median is not a valuation of any specific property.